In a Bernama report Monday, Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, director of ePerolehan, said the 17 billion ringgit target was based on increasing awareness of suppliers about the e-procurement portal.

"At present, the use of this system is at a commendable level--that is, 75 percent, compared to just 10 percent in the year of introduction," Mohd Shafiq said.

The ePerolehan portal made its debut in 2000, and is one of various e-government applications regulated by the Malaysian Finance Ministry to support procurement activities online.

Mohd Shafiq said a new ePerolehan system is being built and will be launched in 2015. "We have just finished compiling information from various related sources to identify their needs and the users of this system to ensure that the newer version can provide a faster, easier, and more efficient service," he said.

Mohd Shafiq said the government was targeting an adoption rate of 90 percent for ePerolehan in two year's time. He noted a 100 percent adoption rate could not be reached as not all government procurement could be processed through the portal. "This is due to factors such as security, defense, and strategy," he explained.